February 27, 2013

DOJ Names Acting Leader of Criminal Division

Updated 6:21 p.m.

As Lanny Breuer prepares to leave his post as the top lawyer of the Justice Department's Criminal Division, his successor is now known: Mythili Raman.

A DOJ official said Raman, a longtime federal prosecutor, will serve as the acting assistant attorney general after Breuer's departure. Breuer, a former Covington & Burling litigation partner in Washington, has served as the head of the division since early 2009. His last day at the helm is Friday.

In Breuer's front office, Raman has served as the principal deputy assistant attorney general since September 2009. Her federal prosecution career began in 1996 as a trial attorney in DOJ's Narcotics and and Dangerous Drug Section. Other roles have included appellate chief in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland and senior counsel to the deputy attorney general.

"Mythili is an exceptionally talented lawyer, and I have no doubt that she will continue her extraordinary career in public service as a brilliant leader of the criminal division," Breuer said in a statement today.

Breuer, one of the longest-serving Criminal Division leaders in recent memory, said in a recent interview he hasn't settled on his next career move.

In January, Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said Breuer "has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the mission of this department and I want to thank him for his dedication and exceptional service."

Covington partner Steven Fagell, who also served in Breuer's front office, said Raman "is one of the finest attorneys with whom I have ever worked. She is a person of great intelligence, character and integrity."